Chapter 53: 53 Making Money
Joe Ga had not expected that a delivery of arms could also lead to the sale of a small Gazelle helicopter. The cost was at most 250,000 to 280,000, and after some inspection and maintenance on his part, he could resell it for 1 million. Where else could he find such a good deal?
What was best is that this business was essentially legal at its core!
His own tourism company would purchase the old stock from the Egyptian Army Aviation, then resell it to Lu Jun. Should anyone look for trouble, all his procedures were legal and in order, and no one could find fault with them.
The business really could work, it was just a pity that finding more customers like Boss Lu was a bit difficult.
It was because Lu Jun wanted an armed helicopter. If he had been set on getting a regular helicopter, he wouldn't have needed to spend a million.
After all, even if the South SD government was a pain, they wouldn't prevent investors from spending their own money to bring in goods.
Joe Ga was in a great mood after casually mentioning a suggestion that led to a big deal; the wild ways of the Ernu people during the gun trial did not disgust him. Instead, he generously declared that the bullets used for the trial were a gift, eliciting a round of applause from the Ernu people.
Watching the Ernu people unload the goods onto the lawn, Lu Jun, acting as an intermediary, still arranged for a bodyguard to go up and help count the items. After all, not many of the Ernu people could count, and he wanted to avoid any misunderstanding that could cause upset.
To tell the truth, the goods weren't numerous, but the 600,000 rounds of ammunition required a significant transport capacity—at least two more trips to get everything sorted.
But with the current goods, the Ernu people were already extremely satisfied.
The Ernu people were actually a collective term for multiple ethnic groups in South SD. They had not been strangers to money, as they held vast lands rich with oil, mines, and even gold.
However, because of "blockades" and "sanctions," they had nearly never enjoyed fair trade, especially for goods like arms which had been embargoed for decades.
Joe Ga's price was undoubtedly higher than market rates, but these Ernu people still found it cheap because guns and bullets were like lifelines to them.
Without weapons, they couldn't even protect what little they owned and would have to join their families in refugee camps struggling to survive.
In reality, the one hundred thousand rounds of ammunition that were delivered had already surpassed their satisfaction; they had never seen such a trustworthy arms dealer before, as they rarely could buy brand-new machine guns and reliable bullets.
A group of Ernu's towering figures couldn't let go of the PKMs they were embracing, adorning themselves with long chains of bullets, nodding in admiration toward Karman. Their current state gave them an unprecedented sense of security.
Two older Ernu men with grizzled beards, followed by a few subordinates, walked over and placed two boxes on the engine cover of Lu Jun's large G. Then one of the old men who had lost an eye patted his chest towards Joe Ga and said in a hoarse voice, "You are a man of integrity, we trust Lu, so we're willing to give you all the money upfront.
We hope you can deliver the rest of the goods soon. The Kadin Clan has bought guns from the hands of 'White Ghosts', and we need to protect our homeland."
Joe Ga, feeling wary, asked, "White Ghosts?"
He looked at Lu Jun and asked, "Is it someone from England or Italy?"
Lu Jun, spreading his hands, replied, "I really don't know. The only thing I'm aware of is that someone is peddling weapons to several poor tribes of the Kadin Clan.
You know how those people are—thieves at heart. Once they get guns, the first thing they think about is robbing others."
"This is something even their president can't control. If something goes wrong, he'll end up protecting them," he added.
Joe Ga listened and, seeing the excited Ernu people around him, said with a bit of helplessness, "You shouldn't have let so many people come along. Those people are up to no good, and if the Ernu sell you out, you'll be dragged into some pointless conflicts.
We people of China shouldn't get involved in these kinds of dealings. Once there's trouble, it will become a handle for leverage, especially since the Kadin Clan is now in power in South SD."
If I had known earlier, I would have reminded you to be careful, but now that it's happened, I don't really care. However, you'd better return to China first, or simply head to Uganda to lay low for a while.
"The development there isn't bad, and there should be plenty of opportunities!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Jun curiously asked, "What are you worried about? What's the big deal about selling some arms to the Ernu people?
"The Kadin Clan and the Ernu people fight and kill each other every day, don't they?
"Recently, that hat-wearing president has been negotiating infrastructure projects with us, smooth as honey. How could he possibly turn against us over a few poor tribes?
"Security is one thing, but our foothold here is solid."
"You may not know, but a security company jointly owned by China and Malaysia has been established in southern SD, and that hat-wearing president has agreed to allow foreign companies to employ their own armed security."
"My family has already signed a contract with them. Soon, six elite armed guards will enter my mine.
"With the Ernu people we cooperate with all around, plus those guards, who would dare cause trouble for me?"
As he spoke, Lu Jun looked at Joe Ga with a strange expression and said, "I used to think you were a bit weird, but now it seems like you're really not someone from higher up the chain.
"We're from the same hometown; how did you manage to get to where you are? It's really impressive!"
Joe Ga suddenly understood that his previous intelligence must have come into play,
Thinking that a small arms dealer like himself should worry about the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was indeed arrogant and overestimating his capabilities.
However, Joe Ga couldn't explain the intricacies of the situation at the moment. He shook his head and said, "Just listen to me, be careful and, by the way, warn those Ernu people not to disclose the source of the weapons."
After hearing this, Lu Jun nodded and said, "Don't worry, if the Ernu and Kadin people really start fighting, there won't be any survivors to reveal where the arms came from. The Kadin people aren't smart enough to trace the source of the arms."
Joe Ga didn't try to persuade him further. Having personally survived an ambush, he had gained some understanding of the ways of arms dealers and wasn't too afraid.
He opened the engine's case to check, finding 30 kilograms of slightly impure gold but the quantity was correct. He roughly counted the 500,000 in cash—although it was a bit old and in small denominations, there were no major issues.
After closing the case, he reached out for a firm handshake with the one-eyed Ernu man and said in English with a smile, "Pleasure doing business with you!"
The one-eyed old man didn't understand the Mandarin exchange between Joe Ga and Lu Jun; seeing Joe Ga's promptness, he said with anticipation, "I hope to see the rest of the weapons soon, pleasure doing business with you!"
Joe Ga smiled and said, "Give me 48 hours; we'll meet at the same place, and you'll see the rest of the goods.
"The only request is that you keep it low-key until you receive all the goods; otherwise, changing the location for the trade would be troublesome."
The one-eyed old man nodded solemnly upon hearing this and said, "All of us will stay here camping until you come again.
"Lu is the most trusted person for us, and he'll definitely stay too. We guarantee the safety of the surroundings!"
Joe Ga knew that Lu Jun, the middleman, couldn't leave before the deal was done, especially since he had already taken the money.
Looking at Lu Jun's indifferent face, Joe Ga said with a smile, "Then bring the refueling truck over to fill up my plane. I hope our young master Lu enjoys himself while he's here."
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